UK Consulate supports 10-week training program for Peshmerga at the University of Kurdistan Hewler

"The course will also help provide a wider selection pool for staff and specialist postgraduate level UK courses which in turn will bring key skills and knowledge back into the Peshmerga."
David McKinley, Wing Commander at the UK Consulate Defence Adviser, speaks at the UKH (Photo: UKH)
David McKinley, Wing Commander at the UK Consulate Defence Adviser, speaks at the UKH (Photo: UKH)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The UK Consulate, in partnership with the University of Kurdistan Hewler (UKH), is supporting Peshmerga staff officers working on reform projects in the Ministry of Peshmerga to improve their communications, critical thinking, and English language skills.

The students were welcomed on Sunday by UKH President Bill Rammell and Wing Commander David McKinley from the British Consulate General in Erbil. They then received an overview of the course content and objectives by UKH’s English Language Center Coordinator, the university said in a press release.

In his opening remarks, UKH President Bill Rammell hailed the Peshmerga forces for their heroism.

“The Peshmerga played a heroic role in the creation of the Kurdistan Region, its defense against the brutality and evil of ISIS. I pay tribute to the brave fighters in the Peshmerga who left their livelihoods to defeat ISIS,” he said.

“These officers were selected to complete an intense 10-week pilot course which is designed to assist and encourage critical thinking and improve interoperability with coalition advisors as they tackle more complex reform challenges and our fight against Daesh (ISIS),” McKinley told Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday.

“The course will also help provide a wider selection pool for staff and specialist postgraduate level UK courses which in turn will bring key skills and knowledge back into the Peshmerga,” he added. 

“Education is the foundation for a greater future, and communication and critical thinking skills are fundamental.”

The official added it is not unusual for the militaries around the world to leverage assistance from academic institutions, describing it as a great opportunity in which everyone benefits. 

“The aspiration based on a successful pilot is for the UK to sponsor further courses which will strengthen relationships and create greater opportunities for the Peshmerga,” he said. 

Read More: UK ‘committed partner’ of KRG, envoy says

In September, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani visited the British Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the UK’s largest military academy, where a number of students from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq are enrolled, during his official visit to the country. 

The UK is an active member of the international anti-ISIS coalition, which has helped both Iraqi and Kurdish forces combat the terrorist group.

By providing air support and training to Kurdish and Iraqi soldiers within the framework of the US-led coalition, the UK has played a pivotal role in combating ISIS. Additionally, following the territorial defeat of the terrorist organization, the UK focused efforts on helping unify and modernize the Peshmerga.

Reform and unification of Peshmerga forces are a “shared objective” of the anti-ISIS coalition, affirmed the UK’s United Kingdom’s Consul General to Erbil, David Hunt, in a September interview. Hunt also said that he has a team at the consulate that is helping advise the Kurdish troops.